Hello dear travel enthusiasts. Today I wanted to share our visit to one of my favorite places, the town of Rupit. Last month we went for a beautiful hike towards a canyon and then continued exploring the town. The weather was autumn-like, with temperatures around 15°C. However, the sun was shining brightly and warming everything up. So it wasn’t cold at all. I was wearing a sweater and vest, while my friend had a t-shirt and sweater on. When the sun is out, the weather here is perfect, but if clouds come in, it can get a bit chilly.
We first stopped by the tourist office, which is not mandatory to visit, but if you want, you can get a map of all the tourist spots in the town. You can either purchase the map for 20 cents or use a QR code to access it for free. The town is very small with a population of around 250 people. so it’s impossible to get lost. We passed the first restaurant and continued up the walking path, which offered a great view of the town through the trees.
To reach the canyon we followed a regular road, a paved one. There are actually two paths here: you can either drive or walk. I recommend this route for those who don’t want to walk through the forest or can’t. This road is a bit longer, about 500 meters. But it’s comfortable to walk on, with beautiful views of the forest and the canyon. You can also see the town of Rupit right next to you. We also saw some lovely buildings along the way. If you prefer the forest trail, you should know that it’s a bit more challenging. There’s mud, puddles and sometimes you have to cross streams by jumping over rocks. The trail is tougher, but the views are absolutely worth it.
Rupit is amazing and only 98 km away from Barcelona. The road here is a beautiful winding one, which makes me a bit nervous because it takes about half an hour and is completely winding. If you get dizzy while traveling, like I do, I suggest taking some medication to make the journey more comfortable and to avoid disturbing anyone. The nature here is incredible, with a beautiful canyon and also the largest waterfall in Catalonia, although due to two consecutive years of drought, the waterfall is not as it used to be. I was here two years ago and back then, the waterfall was very strong and beautiful.
Rupit is a small and charming village with no public transportation. But exploring it is a delightful experience. A walk around the town is enough for an hour’s visit, but you can also stop by the local restaurants and shops. However, the most enjoyable part of visiting Rupit is hiking through the forests and discovering its nature, including the canyons. This is the place that has captured my heart. I absolutely love nature. The path I walked on was peaceful, with very few cars passing by. On one side, there was no one and on the other side, the same. Just the sounds of the forest and the wind. It felt so secluded here that even the wind didn’t reach me. But when I looked up at the trees, I could see the branches moving and hear the wind. Walking on this path was such a pleasant experience.
Of course, we were walking to enjoy these beautiful views. The Golden Autumn season had just begun, but it wasn’t as colorful as I had imagined. I think it would take another week for the leaves to fully turn yellow because everything was still quite green below, with some yellowing at the top. There used to be a large mountain river here, but now everything is dry. This is a result of the drought in Catalonia. There were small puddles in some places. When I visited here before, I was scared to jump over the rocks because the water was flowing so fast.
Then we went to an observation tower, where we saw lava droplets that had fallen from the sky years ago and are now embedded in the rocks. These droplets are slowly disappearing as people walk over them, but you can take them as souvenirs if you wish, such as these stones under this tree. This rain is so intense that no umbrella can protect you.
We saw a group of horseback riders, which was very interesting. You can also take horseback tours from here, as there’s a horse farm nearby. If this interests you, you can look into it. We walked through the forested area to reach the waterfall and eventually, we arrived at a spot with another waterfall.
This path isn’t the most beautiful for our current journey because in some places, you have to climb over rocks. Below, there’s a stream, the remnants of the mountain river. This path is much shorter than our first one, passing through stones, fields and forests, offering a beautiful approach to the town. We followed a trail and approached the town. Not only did we want to rest, but we were also quite hungry after about 3.5 hours of walking, with our last meal being breakfast at 9:30 am. After such a long hike to the waterfall and back, we definitely deserved a good meal.
We were so hungry that we would have happily eaten whatever was offered at any restaurant. We arrived at the town square and saw a restaurant called Can Sallent. We found a table and planned to sit outside, but since the weather was a bit chilly, we moved indoors. I hadn’t felt this hungry in a long time.
Right above there was a house for sale. If you’re interested in buying, you can only do so if you’re of Catalan descent. Foreigners cannot buy property in this town, as it’s regulated by the government.
We ordered our food at the restaurant. My friend ordered wild boar, while I didn’t want to take a risk and just had sausages. A bit of information about the restaurant: it’s located right in the center of the square. A glass of red wine costs 8 euros and 20 cents. The food here is great. We sat inside because it was a bit chilly outside, but you can sit outside if you dress warmly enough.
Afterwards, we left because we needed to head home. It would take about an hour and a half to get back and I didn’t want to travel in the dark. The road is winding and passes through forested areas, where wild boars and other animals could be present. So, we decided to leave a bit earlier. We didn’t have much time to explore the town, but we’ll definitely return to Rupit, so we didn’t say goodbye. We crossed a beautiful bridge as we left the town and made a wish there, hoping it would come true.
I’m saying goodbye now, sending you all a big hug. 🤗